


Here in Your Arms

by welovewebseries (unacaritafeliz)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: 3+1, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Friendship, Getting Together, Hugging, I wanted to try a different writing style, M/M, like this is the fluffiest thing I've ever written, maybe even... more than friends?, physical comfort, theyre actually best friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-08-27 12:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8402152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unacaritafeliz/pseuds/welovewebseries
Summary: "Nursey doesn't respond. There's nothing he can say. Instead he moves his hands to Dex's gloves, slowly undoing them and slipping them off. He takes Dex's hands in his, his thumb rubbing gently across the back of Dex's hand. When he looks back up, Dex's gaze has dropped to their joint hands and his expression has gone soft.One part of Nursey's brain is surprised Dex still hasn't given him a physical injury. The other part is too preoccupied telling his rapidly quickening heartbeat that it needs to chill."[Four years of being 'friends' and defense partners. Four times Nursey and Dex found comfort in each other.]





	1. Freshman Year

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song "Here in Your Arms" by James Wolpert.

Dex grunts as he launches his helmet into the locker room, where it bounces off the floor with a clank before coming to a halt in the corner of the room. The room falls back to empty silence and Nursey glances toward his partner. Dex looks how Nursey feels; his hair damp with sweat, shoulders tensed up and head drooped forward, his entire body being weighed down by the grief of their loss. Nursey feels bad enough about losing already, but seeing Dex somehow makes it worse.

"Hey, Poindexter," Nursey says, gently.

He hesitates, then brings his hand up to rest on Dex's back, his fingers splayed across one of Dex's shoulder blades. Nursey can feel Dex's muscle tense under his fingertips and he flinches, anticipating the impending argument, but it doesn't come.

"Hey," Dex mutters.

"You played well," says Nursey.

From the moment he says it, he knows it doesn't sound right. Nursey's only ever been good with words when he's writing them down, he's never quite worked out how to say them. His inflection and tone never convey his feelings, and anything he says usually sounds too sarcastic, or too dismissive or too, for lack of a better word, chill. But this time his words sound more provocative than placative and he has to resist the urge to babble out an apology or cringe himself into a different dimension.

Dex silently turns his head to look at him, somehow managing to simultaneously raise an eyebrow and scowl. He sits on the bench in front of their lockers, breaking the contact between them, and buries his face in his still glove-covered hands. Only the orange of his hair peeks out from behind his hands, and he looks so utterly dejected that Nursey honest-to-God feels his heart break.

Nursey glances around the locker room. Ransom and Holster are a tangled piled of limbs on the ground, Shitty's got his arm around Chowder and Ollie and Wicks are holding hands in the corner. Everyone has someone supporting them, and no one has any extra energy to pay any attention to him and Dex. He throws off his own gloves, removes his helmet and drops to a crouch in front of his partner, one hand on Dex's leg and the other coming to rest on his shoulder.

His balance in this position is even worse than it usually is, and he fully expects Dex to yell and push at him, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Dex doesn't.

"Hey, you did," Nursey murmurs. "We all did as much as we could, Poindex..."

"We lost, Nurse," Dex interrupts, lifting his head up from his hands. His words are icy, and they hit Nursey like a storm; pulling his own grief and sadness and guilt back into sharp focus.

Nursey pushes it back down.

"Sometimes that happens, Dex," Nursey says, as he moves his hand into Dex's hair. "It doesn't mean we didn't give it everything we had, okay? We played really well. We'll just have to try again next year."

"Tell that to Jack and Shitty," Dex huffs. His amber eyes are still locked onto Nursey's green ones, but they don't look angry. They look exhausted.

Nursey doesn't respond. There's nothing he can say. Instead he moves his hands to Dex's gloves, slowly undoing them and slipping them off. He takes Dex's hands in his, his thumb rubbing gently across the back of Dex's hand. When he looks back up, Dex's gaze has dropped to their joint hands and his expression has gone soft.

One part of Nursey's brain is surprised Dex still hasn't given him a physical injury. The other part is too preoccupied telling his rapidly quickening heartbeat that it needs to chill.

"Dex, I..." Nursey starts. He doesn't even know where he's going with his sentence, but the words are tumbling out regardless.

"Hey," Jack says. His voice is soft as it rings throughout the quiet locker room.

Their moment is over. Nursey knows this. He gets up to sit on the bench next to Dex, just close enough for their thighs and shoulders to touch.

There's a soft pressure on his thigh and looks down to see Dex's pale, freckled hand resting there. He glances over at his team mate. There's a pale red flush creeping up from the neck of Dex's red Samwell jersey to his start of his short red hair.

Nursey smirks, but he says nothing. He lets his hand fall down to meet Dex's.

"I know you all gave it everything you had out there on the ice," Jack says. "I'm so thankful that I got to play my final game at Samwell with you. And I'm especially thankful Bittle and Chow can shave off their sad excuses for playoff beards, eh?"

There's a quiet chuckle that rumbles around the locker room. Dex's giggle is quiet and unsure, but Nursey can feel his whole body warm at the sound. Chowder's laugh sounds more like a sob, and Dex and Nursey turn their heads simultaneously to look at their best friend. Nursey feels a prick of guilt that they've left Chowder to be consoled by Shitty instead of looking after him themselves.

He can't imagine what it must feel like to be the goalie after that match. He owes their sweet, courageous Chowder so many hugs.

"You're a fucking sap, Zimmermann," Shitty says, quietly. His arm is still around Chowder, but he's smiling fondly at Jack.

"I'm just so proud of my boys," Jack says. His smile is small, but Nursey knows he means it. This is the most affectionate he's seen his captain all year. "I hope that you can be proud of yourselves too for what we've accomplished this year. Now c'mon, hit the showers and let's get back to the hotel."

There's a vague mumbling throughout the room as the team drags themselves to their feet. Nursey doesn't move, he won't move while Dex's hand is still perched on his leg.

"Thanks, Nurse," Dex murmurs, softly tapping his hand once against Nursey's leg. He stands, grabs his bag and heads for the showers.

* * *

Later that night, when Chowder knocks on door to their hotel room, they're ready for him. Dex has pushed their single beds together, and Nursey's got every blanket and pillow he can find. They lie in bed with Chowder between them, but Nursey's hand still finds Dex's shoulder and Dex's foot still finds Nursey's shin.

Three sad and disappointed frogs fall asleep in that bed, but, somehow, everything still feels alright.


	2. Sophomore Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He removes his hand from Dex's thigh to throw it around his shoulders. It's an awkward side hug, but Dex's body relaxes into Nursey's, resting his head against Nursey's shoulder. One part of Nursey's brain registers that Dex isn't actually going to give him a physical injury. The other part is too preoccupied telling his rapidly quickening heartbeat that it needs to chill.
> 
> [Dex finds comfort from Nursey. Nursey finds a whole other emotion from Dex].

Dex doesn't show up for team dinner one night, and Bitty sends Nursey out to look for him, saying it's only fair after the number of times Dex dealt with the worst of Nursey Patrol. Nursey searches for his partner, expecting to find Dex studying, tucked away in a corner of the library or curled up in his dorm room, but instead finds him in the front row of the stands at Faber, face expressionless, eyes trained on the ice. Nursey frowns at the sight. Faber was no place to be alone, without gear, at half past midnight on a Wednesday.

"Hey, Poindexter," Nursey says, gently.

He hesitates before sitting next to Dex on the bench, close enough so that their shoulders press into each other and their knees touch. Nursey can feel Dex tense up beside him, and closes his eyes, waiting for Dex to slide away, but Dex doesn't move.

"Hey," Dex mutters.

"Any particular reason why you're here?" Nursey asks.

He's been working on his inflection, his spoken-word Professor says he's doing much better now, but he knows from the look on Dex's face that he hasn't been working hard enough. Dex's eyes are narrowed, his eyebrows are drawn tight, and Nursey knows that look well enough to know that look is always followed by a 'fuck you, Nurse'. He fights to keep his eyes locked on Dex, to not flinch away from his partner's stare. He doesn't want Dex to swear at him like he always does. He was trying to help.

Nursey glances around, ensuring that Faber is not only cold and dark, but completely empty. It gives him the courage to reach out and rest his hand against Dex's thigh, letting his dark fingers curl over Dex's light blue jeans. He hears Dex's sharp intake of breath and Nursey gently squeezes the flesh and denim beneath his hand in a move he hopes is comforting.

It's a risky move, and Nursey's pretty sure there's at least a 70% chance that Dex will yell at him and shove him into the glass that separates them from the ice.

Dex doesn't.

"You know you can tell me if something is bothering you, right?" Nursey asks. "I'm here for you, Dex."

"I failed my last computer science quiz," Dex says, quietly. "And my current coding project is refusing to even compile, let alone do what it's supposed to.". 

"Oh," Nursey says.

He looks over at his partner. Dex's head is drooped and his shoulders are hunched. He looked just like he did when they lost the final game last year. Nursey's breath catches in his throat. He doesn't really understand the problem, he's written enough failed poetry to know failing isn't the end of the world, but he can see that it's bothering Dex and he can't stand it.

"I know it sounds insignificant," Dex says. "I guess it is. But I just... I feel like I'm losing at everything, Nurse. Like, I haven't scored a point in weeks. And if I can't get my grades back up and I can't improve on the ice, then I'll lose my scholarship and I'll have to either go home or spend the rest of my life in student debt."

"You're not..." Nursey starts.

"Everyone just expects me to be smart and good and be able to do this," Dex admits, pushing through the conversation without waiting for Nursey's brain to catch up. "Everyone has an opinion of me and it's not even the truth, Nursey. And I'm scared that one day they're all going to wake up and realise I'm not the person they thought I was"

The whole world shifts. Nursey had always seen Dex as smart, and confident and self-assured. He had never considered the possibility that Dex was struggling with self doubt too. He'd never had any reason to. He didn't even know what he could say to make it better. Surely anything he said was only going to make it worse.

"Everyone's going to be so disappointed in me," Dex sighs.

"Hey," Nursey says softly. "It's not insignificant if it's upsetting you, bro. But, Dex... You are smart, and you are talented, and good at hockey and no one is ever going to think otherwise, okay? You've had a bad few days, that doesn't mean you're a bad person, or that you haven't achieved enough or can't achieve enough. No one could ever be disappointed with you, Dex. I know you, okay? And I believe in you."

He removes his hand from Dex's thigh to throw it around his shoulders. It's an awkward side hug, but Dex's body relaxes into Nursey's, resting his head against Nursey's shoulder. One part of Nursey's brain registers that Dex isn't actually going to give him a physical injury. The other part is too preoccupied telling his rapidly quickening heartbeat that it needs to chill.

"You think I'm good at hockey?" Dex asks.

"Damn straight I do, Poindexter," Nursey says, with a grin.

"God, you're such a sap," Dex mutters.

"Yeah whatever," Nursey huffs. "You love it."

Nursey tightens his arm as he shifts his head to look at Dex, seeing him in a completely new light. Nursey feels like he can now see all of Dex; the Dex that's loud and angry and confident and the Dex that's scared and quiet and insecure. Dex grins up at him and Nursey's mind suddenly, and without permission, fills with metaphors about red hair and freckles and smiles that can make even Faber seem warm. His feelings hit him so suddenly he's left wondering how he didn't see it coming.

He is...

No, he can't be. He's not supposed to be. Faber is just a mysterious place at half past midnight on Wednesday when you're all alone with your defense partner who has opened up to you in a way he's never done so before. Dex is his friend and he is upset and Nursey cares about him. That's it.

"Come on, it's late, we should head out," Nursey says, scrambling to his feet.

"I'm hungry," says Dex, standing up. He glances at his watch. "Damn, it's late. I wonder if Annie's is still..."

"The Haus is closer," Nursey says, avoiding looking at Dex. "Bitty saved leftovers for you."

"Perfect," Dex says as they leave the rink. "Thanks, Nurse."

\--

Bitty finds them the next morning curled up together and snoring on the disgusting green couch; Nursey's arm lazily slung around Dex's shoulder, and Dex's head resting against Nursey's chest. There's a mess of plates and cutlery and glasses on the floor, presumably left over from their late dinner, but Bitty's smiling as he shakes his head and takes it all to the kitchen to clean.

They stumble into the kitchen fifteen minutes later, blushes lighting up both of their faces, and Bitty can't even find it in him to scold them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has the alternate title "I wish college was only three years because i didn't have anything planned for sophomore year" and alternate alternate title "rae stop writing self-inserts" the alternate alternate alternate title "god damn it nursey could you please CHILL????????"


	3. Junior Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the most irrelevant, unhelpful thing he could say and he knows it. He's taken nearly three whole years of college level poetry classes at this point. He can, and has, written poem after poem about the red-haired, freckled boy standing in front of him. He's read those poems out loud to large audiences, who have praised both his writing and his delivery. And yet, when the red-haired, freckled boy is standing in front of him in need of comfort, all Nursey's brain and voice can supply him with is a stuttered, awkward and quiet 'Do you want a hug?'.
> 
> Sarah would be rolling her eyes at him so damn hard.
> 
> [Dex's sister ends up in hospital and so Nursey finds himself worrying about two Poindexters].

Dex is already awake when Nursey wakes up, moving through the dark attic, guided only by the light of his phone. Nursey can just barely make out the shape of Dex's suitcase in the middle of the room and Dex moving between it and the closet, haphazardly throwing armfuls of clothes into the bag. Checking his own phone, Nursey realises its not even 4am, and he swings himself quietly out of bed, moving toward the boy standing in front of the closet.

"Hey, Poindexter," Nursey says, gently.

He hesitates before reaching out touch Dex, placing his left hand on Dex's left elbow and his right against Dex's forearm. It's an almost intimate embrace and he can't see Dex's face to gage his reaction. He wonders if he's crossing some unspoken line between the d-men, taking advantage of Dex in a moment of weakness but, while Dex starts at the contact, he doesn't move far enough away to break it so Nursey figures it's probably okay.

"Hey," Dex mutters. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"What's wrong?" Nursey asks, his thumb gently rubbing against Dex's forearm.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Nurse," Dex replies quickly.

"Poindexter..." Nursey says.

Dex can't see him, so Nursey hopes he's managed to channel all his skepticism into his voice, though he still raises an eyebrow at the back of his partner's head for good measure. Dex turns around, breaking the contact between them and all traces of skepticism immediately drains from Nursey's face as his heart stammers. There are tears in Dex's amber eyes and Nursey's breath catches in his throat. He wonders if he should go wake Bitty or Chowder. They would probably know how to help. He has no idea what to do with a crying roommate and defense partner, especially when that roommate and defense partner is Dex.

"My mum... she just called me," says Dex. "My s-sister's in the hospital. Apparently she just collapsed at school today. We don't k-know why."

This time when Nursey's heart stammers, it's not for Dex but for Sarah. He met the fifteen year old when he visited Maine on his way back to Samwell last summer. With long red hair, freckles and sarcastic personality, Sarah Poindexter was the image of her brother, only slightly less angry at the world.

Nursey had liked her instantly. And now she was unconscious in a hospital somewhere.

"Shit..." says Nursey.

"Yeah," Dex agrees with a mirthless chuckle. "Shit."

"Dex, uh..." Nursey starts, suddenly realising he has no idea where his sentence is going. "I... Do you want a hug?"

It's the most irrelevant, unhelpful thing he could say and he knows it. He's taken nearly three whole years of college level poetry classes at this point. He can, and has, written poem after poem about the red-haired, freckled boy standing in front of him. He's read those poems out loud to large audiences, who have praised both his writing and his delivery. And yet, when the red-haired, freckled boy is standing in front of him in need of comfort, all Nursey's brain and voice can supply him with is a stuttered, awkward and quiet 'Do you want a hug?'.

Sarah would be rolling her eyes at him so damn hard.

Dex's eyes narrow at him, Nursey's sure Dex is going to yell at him, shove him back towards his bed and tell him to fuck off, that this is a serious problem, and he doesn't need to deal with Nursey being an asshole right now.

Dex doesn't.

"Yes, actually," Dex says, softly.

The words seem have tumbled from Dex's mouth against his will. His eyebrows are furrowed, almost as if he's unsure as if Nursey was actually offering, but it's clear he means them.

Nursey opens his arms and Dex closes the gap. It's almost awkward, they've hugged before but never like this before, never face to face and chest to chest and never off the ice, without the adrenaline of scoring pulsing through their bodies. But then Nursey tightens his arms around Dex's waist and Dex buries his face in Nursey's shoulder and all the awkwardness fades. All there is left is two defense partners who care immensely about not only Sarah Poindexter but each other.

"She'll be okay, Dex," says Nursey.

He doesn't know if he believes it himself, but he knows he has to. He can't afford to consider the possibility that she is won't be and he knows Dex can't either. Dex doesn;t respond, instead trying to bury his face even further into Nursey.

Dex cries into Nursey's sleep shirt for what seems like hours. Nursey's vaguely aware that this is a terrible time to be memorising the curve of Dex's back under his fingertips, or the texture of Dex hair against his cheek but Nursey's a poet and he can't help but notice. He's also definitely in love with the boy in his arms, and that doesn't help either.

Dex's tears have stopped and his breathing has returned to normal by the time Dex pulls away.

"I've got to go home," Dex says.

"We'll borrow C's car," Nursey says. "I'm driving."

Dex blinks at him.

"You want to come with me?" Dex asks.

"I am going with you," says Nursey. He can sense an argument so he quickly adds, "Now hurry up and get your stuff. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can see Sarah."

Dex exhales and nods.

"Thanks, Nurse," he says.

Nursey runs out of the attic to get the keys from Chowder. They leave before 4:30am.

* * *

 

Sarah is sent home later that day with a severe warning about the risks of dehydration, told to rest up and drink up. When she wakes up the next morning, she goes searching for her brother, wanting to talk to the boy who loved her so much he travelled all night to see her. When he's not in his room, she pokes her head into the guest room to find Will curled up against his friend, an arm thrown across Nursey's chest, pale fingers entwined with Nursey's dark ones. She grins as she closes the door, glad to see how close her brother is to what he wants.

During breakfast, Sarah wiggles her eyebrows at them both over the table, but separately, so that the other doesn't see her doing it; laughing at how oblivious they are to each other's blushes. They are something they need to work out on their own.


	4. Senior Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ""You're my best friend, Nursey," he says. He opens his eyes but still can't bring himself to look at his partner. "I mean, you're so much more than that. You're my partner, you're the greatest person I've ever known, even though you're also the clumsiest and the most infuriating piece of shit I've ever known."
> 
> One part of Dex's brain is surprised that he's made it this far without running away from his feelings. The other part is too preoccupied telling his rapidly quickening heartbeat that it needs to chill."
> 
> [It's the last night Nursey and Dex are going to share the attic and their both too wrapped up in their thoughts to sleep].

Nursey is restless in the bottom bunk, tossing and turning and sighing, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he's not the sole occupant of the attic. Dex isn't mad about it; he wouldn't have been able to sleep even without the distraction Nursey is creating beneath him. Besides, it feels kind of nice to know that someone else is feeling just as conflicted as he is. Dex peers over the edge of his bed to look down at the bunk underneath him. Even in the dark, he can make out Nursey's grey eyes staring back at him

"Hey Nurse," Dex says gently.

He hesitates before swinging himself off the top bunk, moving to sit at the foot of Nursey's bed. He rest his hand over his comforter and he can feel the warmth radiating from Nursey's leg underneath. He's expects Nursey to relax at the gesture, but it seems to put him even more on edge.

"Hey," Nursey murmurs.

"You alright?" Dex asks.

From the moment he says it, he knows it doesn't sound right. Dex has never been good with words, never known how to string them together to properly express his feelings, usually coming across as dismissive or grumpy or, as Nursey would say, unchill. But this time, none of Dex's concern makes it into his voice; he sounds like this is a casual conversation they're having over team breakfast, not a serious conversation at 2am on the last night they'll have together.

"I'm just... not ready to leave," says Nursey, quietly.

"I'm not either," Dex admits.

There are so many other words hanging on the tip of his tongue, but Dex can't find the courage to let them fall. He wants to crawl over to Nursey, wrap his arms around him and comfort him the same way Nursey has been comforting him for the last four years. But he can't do it. He can't make that move, he can't take that risk.

"Saying goodbye to Jack and Shitty was hard," Nursey continues. "Saying goodbye to Ransom and Holster and Lardo was hard. Saying goodbye to Bitty was so unbelievably hard. But, that's nothing compared to how hard it's going to be to say goodbye to Chowder. Or to say goodbye to you."

Dex wasn't sure if it was that look in Nursey's eye, or the way his voice broke on the last word, or some combination of both, but he moves closer. He doesn't wrap him up like he desperately wants to, but he rests one hand on Nursey's thigh and squeezes, his other hand curling around Nursey's elbow. He hopes it's enough to push Nursey to continue talking, to convince him to say everything that Dex can't find the courage to say.

Nursey doesn't.

"There's still the group chat," Dex suggests, weakly. "We'll still keep in touch

"It's not the same," Nursey says, eyes trained at the floor.

Dex can't stand it. He can't stand that Nursey looks so dejected, so upset, so different from his usual chill self. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. This is their last night. This is his last chance. It's now or never.

He lets the words start falling.

"You're my best friend, Nursey," he says. He opens his eyes but still can't bring himself to look at his partner. "I mean, you're so much more than that. You're my partner, you're the greatest person I've ever known, even though you're also the clumsiest and the most infuriating piece of shit I've ever known."

"Dex..." starts Nursey.

One part of Dex's brain is surprised that he's made it this far without running away from his feelings. The other part is too preoccupied telling his rapidly quickening heartbeat that it needs to chill.

"I don't really know what I want to do next year," says Dex. "But I know I don't want to do it without you."

The silence that follows is deafening. Dex sneaks a look up at Nursey to see him staring at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. Nursey shakes his head slightly and swallows. It's hardly a comforting reaction to Dex just saying the sappiest, most heartfelt thing he's said in his entire life. He's honestly considering taking his words back or maybe flinging himself into the sun when Nursey leans forward

"I've had a crush on you since Sophomore year," says Nursey.

It feels like all the air has been sucked out of his throat in the best possibly way. His expression probably mirrors the one Nursey was just wearing, but his brain is struggling to properly process the words he's just heard. Nursey likes him. Nursey has liked him since Sophomore year. He could have been dating Derek Malik fucking Nurse for two years, maybe even three years, if he had just been less scared about the whole damn thing.

"Unless you just meant all that as friends," says Nursey, quickly, averting his eyes to the corner of the room. "In which case, I've never had a crush on you in my life."

Dex laughs. He can't help himself. The laughter comes spiraling out of his body.

"Nursey," says Dex, his voice just fond enough to convince his partner to look back at him. "I've had a crush on you since Freshman year."

The smile that lights up Nursey's face is beautiful, and Dex knows he'd do anything to keep that smile on his best friends face.

"Oh," breathes Nursey. "That's... uh... I mean... umm..."

"You're so eloquent, Nurse," murmurs Dex. "You should become a poet or something."

"Shut up," Nursey says. There's no bite to his words.

Dex reaches up to place his hand on the side of Nursey's face. They've both leaned in so close to each other that their noses are almost touching. Dex looks Nursey straight in the eye before he speaks.

"Make me."

* * *

It's Ransom and Holster who run into the attic the next morning screaming about graduation and find Nursey and Dex tangled together in the bottom bunk. Dex raises his head off of Nursey's naked chest to glare at noise but Nursey's firmly wraps both arms around his partner to pull them back together.

Any chance they had of keeping their new relationship private vanishes the second their ex-Captains scream 'FINE'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might be wondering! "What happened between that time skip?"
> 
> You would wonder that.
> 
>  
> 
> (Thanks for reading. I'm sorry it took so long for me to finish this!)


End file.
